The whimsical fantasy that traumatized a generation is back to ruining childhoods on streaming

As a general rule of thumb, family-friendly fantasy tends to offer a whimsical escape to magical worlds packed full of endearing creatures and no shortage of mortal peril. The NeverEnding Story ticks plenty of those boxes, but it also conspired to traumatize an entire generation of children.

If you’ve seen Wolfgang Petersen’s 1984 classic – which is a distinct possibility when it’s developed a well-earned reputation as a classic – then you know exactly what we’re talking about. If you don’t, then Atreyu and Artax trying to wade through a swamp won’t mean a damn thing, but it will trigger harrowing flashbacks for at viewers of at least a handful of age groups.

Outside of that, it’s an engaging and impressively assembled flight of fancy, and the shoddy-looking effects have only served to make the film more endearing as time continues to pass. With that in mind, it’s not all that much of a surprise to discover The NeverEnding Story soaring up the streaming charts, because it’s virtually the perfect definition of Saturday afternoon entertainment for either the nostalgia crowd or families.

Per FlixPatrol, the childhood-ruining escapade has landed on the iTunes Top 10 in multiple countries, and we can only hope that anyone who hasn’t seen it before is fully prepared for the total and utter emotional devastation that’s about to befall them. Going in blind is the worst imaginable way to approach The NeverEnding Story, because even the hardiest of adults can be brought to blubbering rubble by something as simple as an ill-fated horse.